Alone On The Egg Fleet
by DrMechano
Summary: Set during Sonic Heroes, Eggman has a lot of time to contemplate Metal Sonic's betrayal, reminisce on the past, and plan his escape.


**Alone on the Egg Fleet**

I still can't believe this is happening.

Metal Sonic, my most trusted robot, has betrayed me. It still all feels like a blur, honestly; One moment I'm planning my glorious scheme for world domination, and the next thing I know, I'm tossed into a storage room on my own ship.

_Why?_

That _is_ the pervading question, isn't it? Metal had never expressed any disdain for my leadership _before, _and seemed to be the most loyal of all my machines. What could have gone wrong?

I still remember it like it was only yesterday... After being defeated by Sonic on South Island, I delved into what would become my most complex project to date: A machine that would match Sonic in speed, strength, and skill. It's funny, really... I felt like I knew Metal before I even activated him. For months I labored away, meticulously hand-crafting each individual piece of his creation. Even the Death Egg, another of my greatest inventions, used mass-produced parts. But for Metal... I wanted every part of him to be custom-made. Special.

When I activated him for the first time, I felt a spark of pride surge through my entire being. Although Sonic would defeat him, Metal's resilliance saw him return again and again. We were such a great team, Metal and I. I always thought our goals were one and the same.

Which brings me back to the present.

What could have caused my prized creation to rebel? I can honestly say I haven't done anything unfair or particularly grating to my knowledge. Is it just natural that everyone eventually grows up and rebels against their pa- _Wait._ Did I just compare myself to Metal's _parent? _What an absurd notion. And yet... It oddly fits. I created him, gave him life, and ultimately _raised_ him to become what he is now... A maniac using my face to, presumably, conquer the planet. Every father's dream, I'm sure.

Perhaps he inherited some of my chivalry at least. I wasn't in a mech. I didn't have any weapons on hand. And yet, he merely chose to detain me, rather than make an attempt on my life, which in my unarmed state would have probably been successful. Could it be... That he couldn't bring himself to hurt me? Might Metal see _me_ as a father figure in his life?

Preposterous. _I_ might be able to understand such concepts, but they're foreign to machines. There's data, protocol, and directives. Things like love and compassion are concepts that a machine might be able to _define, _but not truly understand. ...Right?

Could it be that I gave Metal a complex enough mind to discern between moral absolutes? Even if that's the case, what led to his betrayal? He didn't turn against me to _leave_ the life of conquest, but to continue it.

I suppose his obsession with Sonic plays into this somewhere. When I built him, I was seething with rage at the hedgehog for foiling my plan to rule the world. But over time, I've come to view Sonic as more of a rival than a hated enemy. _Oh. That's it._

Organic beings develop. They change over time. Sonic and I started as fierce arch-enemies. We hated each others' guts, and fought to the bitter end. But I admit, the little punk's grown on me over time. I've grown to respect him for his determination, and... I feel he's come around to respecting me too. _But Metal..._ He hasn't. He still has a mindset that says "I want to kill Sonic more than _anything, _and nothing's going to stop me!" that I had at the time of his construction.

I suppose, in a strange way... Metal carries remnants of an earlier _me_ in that data of his. Perhaps he overthrew me because he knew... He knew I no longer had the heart to kill my nemesis. Make no mistake, I want the world under my control, but... I really question whether I could go through with sending Sonic to his death now. He's complex, in that he's become as much a friend as he is an enemy...

_And now Metal's launching a plot to kill him. _I just know that's what this is. For all I know, once he succeeds, he'll probably let me go, and together we'll continue world domination. Would that be so bad? Would it?

But what if he doesn't? What if the taste of victory drives him mad with power, and he decides he no longer needs me?

Even if he _did_ come back to work for me... Could I ever see him the same way again? I just don't know anymore.

I can't let this happen. I have to do something... _anything_ to get things back to normal. Launching an epic plot for world conquest, an amusing battle with Sonic, you know, the works. I don't want to lose those days... I want to keep the thrill of the chase somehow.

Very well, Metal. _I'll_ just rebel right back at you. Surely there's something in this dusty old storage bin that a genius of my calibur can use to get out of this mess. Let's see here...

A broken computer terminal, some lightbulbs, a mop, and pair of two-way radios. _Great._ A pile of junk.

Bah. I guess all I can do is sit around and wait for the innevitable now. Unless... Hmm.

These radios... They still work. There's no way in the _world_ I'm going to fit out of this tiny window, but I could probably toss one of the radios out... And hope that by some _miracle, _they're found by someone. I guess it's worth a shot. Dr. Eggman's never been one to give up, and he's not starting now.

_Yah! _

There. Now to simply lie in wait. I imagine it will be awhile before anyone finds it, _if_ anyone does.

Ugh. How humiliating, having to rely on someone to rescue me. ...Say. Metal's disguised as me right now, isn't he?

I suppose I could go along with his little tale, and lead whoever finds my distress signal to me under the guise of an anonymous observer. It'd certainly help preserve my image.

_zzzzzt_ "Ow! A _radio_ hit me in the head. Is anyone broadcasting?"

...! Someone answered! ...And what an _annoying_ voice.

"Helloooo? This Charmy! Anyone home?"

Ugh, him. I never liked that kid. It's now or never, Doc. Time to put on a performance. "Hello there! I have a little job for you. Please, tell your boss that-"

"A job? Hang on a minute! Hey, guys! We've got work!"

"Gimme that, Charmy! Hey there! Chaotix Detective Agency. This is Vector speaking. What can I do ya for?"

This is it, Eggman. Your ticket out of here! Ahem! "I've heard good things about you, and require your detective services..."

**The End **


End file.
